Xingqing is still hundreds of miles away from the border, and it takes more than a day to ride a horse, so Xu Huaigu decided to use his sword and rushed to Xingqing City with Yu Qin and Ruyu.
Yu Jian was naturally much faster, but in just half an hour, several people could already see the vast pool of Qi water under their feet.
Further downstream along the Qishui River, another tributary flows into it, which is the Changyang River. Xingqing is located on the bank of this river, split into two by the river, and everything still looks familiar.
The old rule is that flying swords are not allowed in or out of the great cities on earth. Xu Huaigu and the others found a secluded place to stay in the suburbs, and then walked into the city.
As he walked onto the official road into the city, Xu Huaigu noticed something unusual. It was too deserted. In the past, when entering Xingqing, we could still see many caravans on the road, but this time we didn't even see a ghost. It seemed that Xingqing was almost coming to an end.
Several people walked to the south gate and saw the towering city wall. There were more than twice as many soldiers guarding the city as before, patrolling the city wall in darkness.
It is vaguely visible that there are many craftsmen working on the city wall. Judging from their appearance, they should be building additional crossbows to defend the city.
Even the soldiers checking passers-by at the city gate were all wearing helmets and armor. They didn't look like soldiers guarding the gate, but like an army on the battlefield.
There were a few people waiting at the south gate to leave the city, but no one came in. Xu Huaigu lowered his head and said to Ruyu: "After entering the city, restrain your aura and don't show your demonic aura. There are many great monks in Xingqing City, so don't cause unnecessary trouble." Ruyu nodded and followed what he said. All the energy was hidden.
If he didn't investigate carefully, even Xu Huaigu himself wouldn't be able to detect it, so he felt relieved. So a few people walked up to the city gate.
Not surprisingly, the three of them were the only ones who entered the city. The soldiers guarding the gate noticed them from a distance. As soon as they approached, someone stopped them and asked sternly: "Where did you guys come from?" Why are you entering the city?" Xu Huaigu took out a document from his sleeve and handed it to the man. This was the customs clearance document Lu Zijin gave them before leaving.
Now that Xingqing is under martial law and there is no written ultimatum, I am afraid it will be extremely difficult to enter the city. The man was illiterate and handed the document to an old clerk behind him who was in charge of soldiers to read.
The old master looked closely for a long time, and saw a huge one in the lower right corner.
The word "Lu" was printed in red, and his expression suddenly changed, and he hurriedly apologized: "You guys are from the border, please come in quickly, please come in quickly!" Upon hearing this, all the soldiers nearby looked at them in surprise.
Someone hurriedly asked Xu Huaigu: "Brother, how is the situation at the border now? Will they hit us in Xingqing?" Xu Huaigu just shook his head lightly, took back the document, and went straight into the city without saying a word. .
"Hey, brother, don't leave. Let's talk about it! Everyone is worried! Please give us some confirmation!" Someone wanted to step forward and hold him, but Xu Huaigu walked away quickly.
Yu Qin glanced at the man a little apologetically, then followed him, Ruyu followed closely behind, and they quickly turned into the alley and disappeared.
All the soldiers guarding the gate lowered their heads and complained one after another: "It's not a big deal, but I don't even want to say a word!"
"I heard from my Aunt Zhao next door that their Eunuch Liu, who is in the palace, is already packing his luggage and preparing to run away! I'm afraid the situation at the border is not optimistic! Sooner or later they will have to come to us!" Read a book la
"Nonsense! There is a lady named Xu on my street. Her husband is an official in the court. Isn't he better informed than your eunuch? He said that the border customs are just a small fight and have nothing to do with our Xingqing. We Dayu Over the hundreds of years since the founding of our country, there have been few wars in the north, but do you think it has hurt our Xingqing?"
"This time is different! Look at the city wall. All the capable craftsmen in the city have gone to the city wall to make crossbows. If they can't hit Xingqing, why would they make crossbows?"
"Hey, in the past two years, I heard that the north has calmed down, but the war has started again in the south, and it's hard to live in peace. I don't know which country is in the south and what they are fighting for." Everyone started chatting, but everyone had their own differences. After all, everyone's explanation was not accurate. In the end, everyone looked at the old master who had never spoken, and asked: "Master Chen, you are well-informed, what do you think?" The old master named Chen Master Book frowned and cursed: "If I knew, I wouldn't have to wait at the gate of the city! These days, messy news is spreading all over the city, who knows whether it is true or false! In my opinion, you might as well each Drink your own wine and go find your own mother-in-law. Whether Xingqing is dead or alive is not something we little people can decide, so we don’t have to have so many troubles!" After being scolded, everyone laughed and continued. Gatekeeping.
However, everyone felt that what Mr. Chen said made sense. No matter what, he was happy every day.
There was still noisy at the city gate. Xu Huaigu and the others had already entered the city, so naturally they had no idea what they were talking about.
The first thing to do after entering the city is to find a place to rest. Xu Huaigu searched several Xianjia inns that he knew before, but all of them closed their doors tightly. After asking people nearby, he found out that these inns had been closed for more than a month.
Calculating the time, it was almost the time when the demon clan began to invade Dayu Country. Sure enough, the monks were better informed than the ordinary people who didn't know the border situation and were asking around. As soon as the fight started, the group of innkeepers fled.
Xu Huaigu couldn't help but cursed secretly. The businessman made enough money, but he really cared about his life. Since all the Xianjia Inns had closed down, they had no choice but to continue walking to the north of the city. It took them a long time to find a decent inn. The plaque said
"Xiangyun Inn" has four big characters. As soon as Xu Huaigu entered the inn, before he had time to ask, the landlady greeted him first and said, "What do you guys want to eat?"
"It's not necessary to eat. Do you have any good guest rooms here? Give me two." When the landlady heard that she was staying in a hotel, she shook her head and said: "It turns out that you are staying in a hotel. Please look for some other places. ." Xu Huaigu frowned and asked, "I'm not short of your money, so why can't I stay in a hotel?" The landlady glanced at Xu Huaigu strangely and asked, "Isn't this gentleman a native of Xingqing?" Xu Huaigu replied. "I'm from the south," she said. The proprietress glanced at the group of three people, her eyes lingered on Ruyu's body for a moment, and she secretly praised the handsome child, thinking that this should be a family of three from the south.
Judging from the way these three people dress, they seem to have some savings, but why are they so ignorant of the rules? She couldn't help but explain: "Some of you don't know. Now there is a war in the south, and the situation is very bad. Many people have fled to Xingqing. Although our Xingqing city is not small, each has its own use. That free place takes in outsiders. I'm not talking about just a few. Some of them are naturally well-informed and reasonable. However, there are many other refugees who wander the streets all day long and cause many troubles. Therefore, the court issued a decree a few days ago. An order was issued to make room for all the habitable houses in Xingqing City to accommodate these refugees, and the subsidies would be provided by the court. When it comes to housing people, the inns are naturally the most popular, and now my upstairs is full. Where are the free rooms for people from the south? Although the court also subsidizes money, little brother, you don’t know how much trouble these people bring to me? I would rather not make this money." Xu Huaigu understood and thought to himself This order must have come from Lin Cangyang.
"Sir, when you were walking into the city, did you see a few refugees on the street who had no place to live? Didn't you see what the streets looked like before this order was issued? They were full of homeless people. We can also be considered as servants of the imperial court. Do your part." Xu Huaigu suddenly said: "So that's what happened." The proprietress sat down behind the counter, played with the long bright red nails on her hands, and said: "If sir and his party are tired, you might as well eat some tea fruits. , take a rest before going elsewhere." Yu Qin felt helpless after hearing this, and was about to take Ruyu out of the door, but Xu Huaigu held her back, and Yu Qin looked at him with some confusion.
Xu Huaigu took out a heavy piece of fifty taels of snowflake official silver from his sleeves. Before he put it on the case, the landlady's eyes lit up. She quickly stood up and looked around. When she saw that no one was seeing her, she smiled softly and flatteringly. He said: "Actually, I still have two excellent rooms on the top floor. It would be a waste to live in them for those refugees, so I didn't tell my husband. These two rooms should be given to people like my husband." After that, , she hurriedly wanted to take the money, but Xu Huaigu withdrew his hand and gave her a break, saying: "Let's talk about the price first." The landlady had to be patient and said with a smile: "We open a small inn with a small door, and we are in the imperial court. The risk of hiding these two rooms is not small. I can only take care of three people for three days with these fifty taels of official silver. All the money for tea, fruit, food and food will be on me. No matter how much I have, I can't do anything." Xu Huai Gupi laughed. Rou Bu smiled and said, "The landlady is doing a good job." The landlady knew it was sarcastic, but was not annoyed. She just said, "In troubled times, who doesn't want to make a fortune for himself? Madam is so beautiful that the husband is willing to let her go outside. Those little shabby places are going to suffer? Although my place is expensive, it is a real good house." Xu Huaigu put down the money and said: "Okay, I am too lazy to bargain with you. This money will be used as a deposit for you first, we are If you want to stay for a long time, the room is reserved for me, but you cannot rent it to others." The landlady hurriedly collected the money, walked out of the counter with a smile, and said: "I know, I know, some distinguished guests are invited upstairs." The landlady He led the three of them all the way up to the top floor. As expected, there were two large rooms facing north and south, which were very clean.
The three of them, Xu Huaigu, rested here. After a while, the landlady brought out various snacks and fruits. Xu Huaigu lived in an inn, and what she wanted most was peace and quiet, so he told her not to come upstairs unless she told her.
The landlady was too happy not to serve, so she naturally agreed. Although a few people were staying, Ruyu was full of doubts and couldn't figure it out no matter how hard she tried.
Seeing his frown, Yu Qin asked, "What's wrong?"
"Sister, there are many things I haven't figured out."
"What's the matter? Tell your sister?"
"When we were downstairs just now, the woman obviously lied to Mr., but why wasn't Mr. angry? I lied, but Mr. scolded me?" Xu Huaigu just sat down and was picking up a glass of water to drink. Hearing this, I almost dropped the cup.
Yu Qin chuckled and said, "Good sir, don't just throw the cup. Can you also explain?" Ruyu looked at Xu Huaigu, her eyes full of confusion.
Xu Huaigu secretly thought that this gentleman was not easy to be a candidate for. He coughed twice and said with a serious expression: "Because you are my student, that's why I care about you. That woman is a stranger to me, why should I care about her? Ruyu, you have to know that discipline is caring and caring. Hello. If you don't care about anything, it means you think there is no relationship between the two of you, so I don't care about you."
"Care..." Ruyu said to herself. He thought about his experience growing up in the Demon Realm. It seemed that no one had ever cared about him, and no one had told him what to do rightly. He had just drifted in unknowingly over the past few decades.
Yu Qin also smiled gently and said: "That's exactly what happened. Your husband cares about you because he cares about you. Don't blame him." Ruyu quickly stood up and bowed to Xu Huaigu seriously: "Thank you, sir. I understand what Mr. Wang means." Xu Huaigu was stunned.
His look on Ruyu's face didn't seem to be fake, and he couldn't help but feel a little moved. If this were a human child who grew up in the Central Territory, most likely he would be dismissive of this truth.
But in Ruyu, who had never been disciplined by anyone, he regarded it as a motto. Xu Huaigu looked at the child in front of him blankly.
This was uncarved jade, just placed in front of him, waiting for him to take the knife and carve it.
